Intertwined Hearts
by kemiyo tashino
Summary: He was the icy boss who let no one into his heart while she was his cheerful secretary determined to find her true self. When these two fates intertwined, little did they know what would come of the results. SxS


**Disclaimer: I do not own CCS. All reserved works belong to CLAMP.**

**Sakura-22, Syaoran-24**

**Chapter 1-Separate Perspectives **

He rarely smiled. It was one of those features he truly detested and believed was totally unnecessary. Ever since his father died, he had become the cold person he is today, letting no one into to his heart. To him, love was a worthless emotion he did not need. His heart was completely surrounded by a barrier of ice that couldn't be broken easily.

Until she came.

….

Li Syaoran sighed as he ran a hand through his messy chestnut brown hair. He had been working in his office since 6:00 AM. Tired as he was, he refused to stop for work was his life. As he continued to type on the computer, the door opened and his cousin, Eriol Hiiragizawa walked in, "Still working, dear cousin?"

"I thought I told you not to call me that," Syaoran muttered as he pounded the keys, not even bothering to acknowledge the presence of his cousin.

"There's something I need to talk to you about," Eriol replied softly, but firmly.

With an annoyed grunt, Syaoran paused his work and raised his head to look at Eriol, "What?"

"I have been observing you for the past few months and I believe you are in desperate need of a secretary." Syaoran opened his mouth to protest, but Eriol swiftly cut in with, "You have been working way too hard these past years and it's time you let someone help you. Tomoyo has a friend who needs a job and I think she would be the perfect person to assist you."

"Hold on," Syaoran snapped. "Who said I needed help?"

"Syaoran, would you just take my advice?" Eriol shot back, surprising Syaoran. "For the last two years, you have been doing nothing but work. You have absolutely no life, hardly any friends, and a personality so cold it could freeze water. It's high time you let people back into your life." Eriol's gaze softened a bit, "I only want to help."

Syaoran glared back at Eriol in silence. He knew what Eriol was saying was exactly correct. His life was nothing but work and his heart was closed to most people with the exception of Eriol, Tomoyo, and his family. But Syaoran had a mind of his own and was still too stubborn to accept Eriol's words. He reluctantly replied with, "I'm really not sure about this, Eriol. I don't want some gold-digging woman bustling around my office, trying to flirt with me."

"No, she's not like that," Eriol broke in, trying to reassure Syaoran. "Sakura's a good friend of Tomoyo and I, and I can guarantee you that she will be of a great help to you."

Syaoran cocked his head, clearly deep in thought, "How old is she?"

Eriol chuckled, "Twenty-two. She graduated from Tokyo University not too long ago. But trust me, she's smart and mature for her age. So, what do you say?"

Syaoran sighed again, "Fine, she can work for me. But that doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to her."

"Dear cousin, you just have to be polite at the most. Though knowing Kinomoto Sakura, I have a feeling it's going to be hard for you to close up in front of her," Eriol smiled. "Well, Tomoyo and I are going to dinner. Good-bye for now." With that, Eriol shut the door.

"Kinomoto Sakura," Syaoran quietly murmured the name. With a shake of his head, he quickly went back to typing on the computer, "What am I thinking? She's probably going to be some annoying girl who does nothing but flirt and fool around. Damn cousin!"

…

The sound of a phone ringing echoed throughout the small apartment. Loud footsteps could be heard as an auburn-haired girl ran to the cordless phone and picked it up, "Hello?"

"Sakura, it's Eriol," Eriol said as he used the other hand to hold the steering wheel. "Tell Tomoyo I'm coming to pick her up in about 15 minutes."

"Okay," Sakura replied. She paused for a moment, "Did you talk to that cousin of yours regarding the secretary job at Li Corporation by any chance?"

"Yes," Eriol smiled. "My dear cousin is agreeing to let you work for him, but he is very stubborn, I assure you. Try to loosen him up when you meet him, okay?"

Sakura laughed, "Okay. I'll tell Tomoyo you're coming then. And thanks for getting me that job."

Eriol chuckled as well, "No problem. Bye."

"Bye," Sakura said. With a grin on her face, Sakura hung up the phone and knocked on the door of the bathroom, "Tomoyo? Eriol says he's coming in about 15 minutes!"

"Shit!" could be heard from the opposite side of the door. "Are you serious?" Sakura stifled a laugh as what sounded like a shampoo bottle clattered to the floor. The door opened a crack and Tomoyo frantically whispered to Sakura, "If Eriol comes before I'm ready, tell him I'm getting my makeup done!"

"Alright," answered Sakura. As she waited for Tomoyo to finish getting ready, Sakura quietly paced the living room, looking at the various portraits and pictures that adorned the room.

There was a family picture of her father, Fujitaka, her mother, Nadeshiko, and her older brother, Touya. This particular picture had been taken shortly before Nadeshiko died, when Sakura was 3 and Touya was 10. With a sad sigh, Sakura let her thoughts wander, letting them land on the fact that people always told her she was like her mother. 'How so?' Sakura thought to herself. 'We both look so different.'

That was true—sort of. Nadeshiko had curly silvery hair that came down to her waist and was always beautiful, no matter what style it was put in. Sakura, on the other hand, had hair that came down to her waist as well, but it was straight and a rich auburn color that accented her emerald eyes perfectly. Yes, both Nadeshiko and Sakura shared the almost exact emerald eyes, lovely shades of green that sparkled in the light. A smile came to Sakura's face as she pondered upon this. Before her thoughts could wander more though, the doorbell rang. "Coming!" Sakura called as she unlocked and opened the door, "Hello Eriol!"

"Good evening, Sakura," Eriol greeted as he took off his coat. In most people's opinion, especially Tomoyo's, Eriol was extremely handsome. He had navy blue hair that fell neatly over his forehead with striking cerulean eyes that usually contained a mixture of amusement and wisdom in them. "Is Tomoyo still getting ready?"

"Yeah," Sakura said. "She's trying to make herself stunning for you tonight," she added with a bit of a grin on her face.

Eriol laughed a little, "I see. By the way, my cousin wants you to start work next Monday. So you have the weekend to get prepared a little."

"Thanks," Sakura replied. "I'm just wondering though, what exactly is your cousin like?"

"Syaoran? Well, he's—" Eriol's words were cut off for Tomoyo appeared. A small smiled graced his lips as he walked over to her and offered her his arm.

Tomoyo Daidouji, in Sakura's opinion, had always been beautiful. She was currently dressed in a spaghetti-strap, lavender dress that matched her amethyst eyes perfectly. Her raven black hair was done up in a French twist with a butterfly clip to hold it up. "Do I look alright?" Tomoyo asked nervously.

"Beautiful," Eriol complimented, with a charming smile.

Sakura smiled as well, "That dress matches you really well! Did you make it?"

Tomoyo smiled, "It's one of my old designs. I just thought I would wear it tonight." She worriedly glanced at the clock on the table. "Eriol, I think we should get going before we're late! I'll see you later tonight, Sakura!"

"I'll drop Tomoyo off at about 11:30. Is that alright?" Eriol asked.

"That's fine. You two have a good time," Sakura replied.

They exchanged their good-byes and Sakura dropped back onto the couch, "Eriol never got to tell me about Syaoran," she sighed. "But what did he mean on the phone when he said Syaoran needed loosening up?"

Sakura looked wistfully at the picture of Eriol and Tomoyo that decorated the bookshelf. It had been taken at the park by Sakura a couple of years ago. The two lovebirds had met in the first year of college. Unlike other people, they had decided to take things slow, first becoming friends and then dating later on. And it was no surprise to everyone when Eriol proposed to Tomoyo after graduation. In a matter of six months, their wedding would be held and Sakura was to be Tomoyo's maid of honor.

A small sigh escaped her lips. How wonderful it must be to have a special someone to talk to, to spend time with, and to love. Sakura had never experienced that kind of love before. Her priorities were her family, friends, and work and nothing else.

But if she were to find love, if fate actually had her meet up with it, what would come of it? Would it stay true to the heart, or would it just fade away like mist?

Sakura shook her head. How silly she was being! After all, as long as Eriol and Tomoyo were happy, she was happy as well, right?

So why couldn't she convince herself to believe it?

…

The clock on his computer at home read 10:00 PM and Syaoran was still working. He had hardly spared any time for himself for dinner and was intent on finishing these files until his body gave out.

Li Syaoran was an absolute workaholic.

Syaoran never dated anyone in his life, despite his mother's pleas to marry someone before he reached the age of twenty-five. To him, love was a meaningless thing that was of complete unimportance. And in Li Corporation, to date your co-worker was usually not a good thing. Syaoran had watched many of his colleagues get too caught up in their love lives to the point where it interfered with their work. Not to mention the sickening gossip that spread throughout the offices through these 'relationships'.

It came as no shock to an outsider when women would gather around Syaoran, begging for his attention. Syaoran's chestnut brown hair, though messy, fell across his forehead in an attractive manner. But his eyes were what really got people's attention. They were amber, with specks of gold in them. One glance and they could have you entranced.

Unfortunately, for Syaoran, these particular features of his got the attention of too many women. The looming aspect of the vast amount of money the Li Clan possessed didn't help either.

Women. That one single word tasted like poison in Syaoran's mouth. With the exception of Tomoyo, his mother, and his sisters, he could barely tolerate them.

In the past, too many women had always tried to flirt with him, just for his looks and money. 'And they still do,' Syaoran thought bitterly. He really couldn't help wondering sometimes how men could enjoy the flatters and compliments of women.

There was also the pressing issue of his new secretary who was expected to come in on Monday. Syaoran fervently hoped Eriol's words were right, that she was a sensible woman who would keep her hands off him. "Though the chances of that is most likely zero," he muttered aloud.

Thinking back, Syaoran couldn't remember one time he had ever hired anyone to be his secretary. All his childhood and teen years, the Elders always told him the only person he could depend on was himself.

So to have someone expecting to help and work with you was a very disturbing prospect for him, indeed.


End file.
